In a December 2022 conversation with O.R. Trax CEO and co-Founder, Abram Liverio, I asked him about his experience with credentialing, developing a company and improving the healthcare ecosystem.
Q. Abram, tell me about your experience in working in hospitals.
A. Well, I started with Stryker in 2006. I remember before and after vendor credentialing and I could see and understood the need for a standard process. The process was frustrating and without standards, it was/is disorganized. There were people getting into hospitals, pretending to be nurses, vendors, etc. There was a need for one efficient standard and process to ensure security and privacy.
Overall, my experience working in healthcare is positive; I like improving systems and see it benefiting the patient experience. That said, there are system inefficiencies– like the patchwork of credentialing processes by different hospitals which need to be improved.
Q. How did you come to develop O.R. Trax?
A. We started out as a medical communications company. My business partner and I worked in a 73-hospital territory for Stryker, we saw an opportunity to improve the vendor communication process in auto notification for surgical cases. The old ways of texts, emails, and phone calls was not secure or efficient. We also realized that the market needed to move to the cloud. In 2013, we saw the opportunity and we took the risk.
Their vision: Creating a cloud-based database for real-time scheduling and to track vendors utilizing the cloud. To start O.R. Trax, they liquidated their 401(k)s to hire a developers and began growing the company.
Today, the company is the fastest growing vendor credentialing company in the US. Doubling their client base every year for the last 3 years.
Q. What do you see as the barriers to getting national vendor credentials (like ANSI standards) adopted?
A. Hospitals have the power to adopt standards, like the ANSI NEMA HCIR accredited standards. Our experience working with a third of a certain Federal Healthcare system in 32 states and 54 medical centers is that standardization is key for modernization. An enterprise solution would be a great place to start. It becomes easier to demonstrate the efficacy of one-letter vendor credentialing validation. Working with larger organizational hospitals is the best way to start to change process.
Q. Where do you see the market going?
A. Technology is changing constantly and can rapidly disrupt current systems. If you don’t create standards and self-reporting, legislation may come in and create mandates no one is happy with. I believe if we self-regulate and adopt the c4UHC ANSI standards across the country, we will not need burdensome regulation. It is always better to self-report.
Q. What trends do we need to pay attention to in the healthcare ecosystem?
A. Blockchain and decentralized identity is coming. We see the European Union adopting blockchain innovation to increase security and self-sovereignty. We could develop a badge for ANSI standards which could be encrypted and validated. There are tremendous opportunities to explore there.
Also, since COVID, supply chain issues continue to be the number one challenge. By adopting new technologies, and having uniform standards, we can address these problems and improve the speed to deliver patient care.
Q. What do you want to achieve?
A. In about six months, we’ll have some major announcements with 3 new vendor facing products. We want to be the face of vendor credentialing.
We believe in ethically and strategically; getting ANSI NEMA HCIR standard adopted across the country.; it’s about trust and 3rd party verification. The healthcare system needs tools to improve and we can work together ensuring ANSI NEMA standards support improved healthcare systems.
Q. How would you go about getting vendor credentials adopted by all?
A. I think the VA would be a great place start. They are the largest provider of healthcare in the country. As with any system change, you need to continue to reach out to all stakeholders and every everyone needs to be in agreement with at a minimum, some sort of standardization. If you set realistic expectations; all is spelled out, and communication, coordination and collaboration is at the forefront, you can achieve adoption.
Executive Director Blog: The Need to Improve the Healthcare Ecosystem, Advance the Technological Infrastructure and Interoperability
In a December 2022 conversation with O.R. Trax CEO and co-Founder, Abram Liverio, I asked him about his experience with credentialing, developing a company and improving the healthcare ecosystem.
Q. Abram, tell me about your experience in working in hospitals.
A. Well, I started with Stryker in 2006. I remember before and after vendor credentialing and I could see and understood the need for a standard process. The process was frustrating and without standards, it was/is disorganized. There were people getting into hospitals, pretending to be nurses, vendors, etc. There was a need for one efficient standard and process to ensure security and privacy.
Overall, my experience working in healthcare is positive; I like improving systems and see it benefiting the patient experience. That said, there are system inefficiencies– like the patchwork of credentialing processes by different hospitals which need to be improved.
Q. How did you come to develop O.R. Trax?
A. We started out as a medical communications company. My business partner and I worked in a 73-hospital territory for Stryker, we saw an opportunity to improve the vendor communication process in auto notification for surgical cases. The old ways of texts, emails, and phone calls was not secure or efficient. We also realized that the market needed to move to the cloud. In 2013, we saw the opportunity and we took the risk.
Their vision: Creating a cloud-based database for real-time scheduling and to track vendors utilizing the cloud. To start O.R. Trax, they liquidated their 401(k)s to hire a developers and began growing the company.
Today, the company is the fastest growing vendor credentialing company in the US. Doubling their client base every year for the last 3 years.
Q. What do you see as the barriers to getting national vendor credentials (like ANSI standards) adopted?
A. Hospitals have the power to adopt standards, like the ANSI NEMA HCIR accredited standards. Our experience working with a third of a certain Federal Healthcare system in 32 states and 54 medical centers is that standardization is key for modernization. An enterprise solution would be a great place to start. It becomes easier to demonstrate the efficacy of one-letter vendor credentialing validation. Working with larger organizational hospitals is the best way to start to change process.
Q. Where do you see the market going?
A. Technology is changing constantly and can rapidly disrupt current systems. If you don’t create standards and self-reporting, legislation may come in and create mandates no one is happy with. I believe if we self-regulate and adopt the c4UHC ANSI standards across the country, we will not need burdensome regulation. It is always better to self-report.
Q. What trends do we need to pay attention to in the healthcare ecosystem?
A. Blockchain and decentralized identity is coming. We see the European Union adopting blockchain innovation to increase security and self-sovereignty. We could develop a badge for ANSI standards which could be encrypted and validated. There are tremendous opportunities to explore there.
Also, since COVID, supply chain issues continue to be the number one challenge. By adopting new technologies, and having uniform standards, we can address these problems and improve the speed to deliver patient care.
Q. What do you want to achieve?
A. In about six months, we’ll have some major announcements with 3 new vendor facing products. We want to be the face of vendor credentialing.
We believe in ethically and strategically; getting ANSI NEMA HCIR standard adopted across the country.; it’s about trust and 3rd party verification. The healthcare system needs tools to improve and we can work together ensuring ANSI NEMA standards support improved healthcare systems.
Q. How would you go about getting vendor credentials adopted by all?
A. I think the VA would be a great place start. They are the largest provider of healthcare in the country. As with any system change, you need to continue to reach out to all stakeholders and every everyone needs to be in agreement with at a minimum, some sort of standardization. If you set realistic expectations; all is spelled out, and communication, coordination and collaboration is at the forefront, you can achieve adoption.
This is part of a series of posts authored by C4UHC Executive Director Sharon Gleason Jenkins, which are designed to inform, educate, and engage the credentialing community, and to offer the opportunity for feedback and idea-sharing. We look forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas.
PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR C4UHC’S GUIDELINES FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS